Sign Language

1. General characteristics of the sign communication in the U.S.A and Poland.

The following chapter is aimed to provide the information on the nature of sign communication in the U.S., compare it with Poland and, show the possibilities for further study of the standard/slang phenomenon in sign communication.

1.1. Basic notions

Before we move on to the more detailed presentation, it would be advisable to present a few notions used in the chapter. First of all, there occur two words describing languages, namely, �sign’ and �signed’. They denote, respectively, the �real’ language, as is used by the deaf and hard of hearing, and the �artificial’ equivalent constructed by the hearing people. More details on the issue will be comprised in the further paragraphs. Secondly, whenever we deal with sign languages as a general notion the phrase �sign communication (system)’ is used. The word �spoken’ does not denote a colloquial variety of a language as opposed to �written’ or �literary’ style but simply describes the language that, in order to communicate, uses, or can potentially use, sounds.

It is worth noting that some definitions comprised in dictionaries available to a layman are indisputably too general. Thus, вЂ?a sign language’ is sometimes a set of вЂ?signs’ (Oxford Wordpower 2002:705) while from other sources we learn it is a set of вЂ?hand and body movements’ (Cambridge International Dictionary of English 1996:1335). The very вЂ?signs’ can be once described as вЂ?gestures or facial expressions’ (MaÐ*‚y SÐ*‚ownik JÐ"™zyka Polskiego 1999:439) while the line below tells us they are вЂ?fingers movements’ (MaÐ*‚y SÐ*‚ownik JÐ"™zyka Polskiego 1999:439). In sign communication the distinction between вЂ?movement’, вЂ?sign’, вЂ?gesture’ or вЂ?facial expression’ is crucial. An entity that stands for a word can be constructed of a specific hand and fingers position, a movement, a transition and a facial expression. For instance, the full DECIDE sign in the American Sign Language is performed with two hands raised up to the eye level, fingers and thumbs joined, and the hands’ downward movement to the chest level. On the other hand, the вЂ?sets’ are said to represent words or letters (as in finger spelling) which is also a simplification. What can be also represented are grammatical concepts, e.g. tense markers. It would be safer to say that sign languages are systems in which people convey messages rather than separate words only. Nonetheless, we will use the convenient notion вЂ?sign’ meaning whatever (be it a movement or a hand configuration) that stands for a linguistic entity.

1.2. Characteristics of the sign communication in the U.S.A and Poland.

The sign communication as we know it has at least 200 year written history but it was not within the scope of linguists’ interest until the 2nd half of 20th century. Of course, glossaries and general studies have been published since the 19th century or earlier e.g. PamiÐ"™tnik o gÐ*‚uchoniemych i metodzie ich uczenia by W. Wysocki from 1839, Sicard’s and Massieu’s works from the beginning of the 19th century, or even P. Deglose’s observations from the 2nd half of the 18th century. The first linguistic work on the subject was the monograph of the American Sign Language written by W. C. Stokoe and published in 1960 in the U.S.A. The Polish sign communication, unfortunately, did not undergo almost any linguistic investigation until the early 90s (J. Perlin’s, M. Ð*Ñ™widziÐ*„ski’s studies). Today, there are as much as 200 different sign languages in the world. All of them develop naturally and gain deserved recognition as semantic systems on a par with spoken languages.

1.2.1. Poland

There are two sign systems in Poland. The deaf and hard of hearing and hearing people wishing to communicate with them make use of either �migowy’ or �migany’ language. The former is the natural, proper sign language as is generally used and understood by almost all the deaf community. The �migany’ language was constructed on the basis of the �migowy’ signs but was intended to represent the spoken Polish in the form of gestures.

The вЂ?migowy’ language also referred to as the вЂ?natural’ consists of a set of a few thousand notional signs, of a positional nature, and the spatial organization of an utterance. It utilizes additional means of communication вЂ" facial expressions, mime, gestures and kinetic activities. The вЂ?migowy’ language (Polish Sign Language вЂ" PSL) is grammatically different from the spoken Polish. It has no declensions nor conjugations, no tense indicators within a sign; gender is not marked. The syntax is not at all like that of the spoken Polish. Almost no pronouns and conjunctions are present. Owing to the absence of inflection the language is positional. The Polish sentence:

Kiedy skoÐ*„czÐ"™ pisaÐ"‡ list do Julka, zrobiÐ"™ obiad

will read in the PSL as:

Ja list j u l e k pisaÐ"‡ koniec obiad robiÐ"‡ (name finger-spelled)

Other features of the language are of the same nature as in the case of spoken languages. Regrettably, as was mentioned before, the PSL has just begun to be investigated from the linguistic point of view. As a result, so far, not much can be said about its syntax. An attempt, however, will be made in the next chapter to provide a more detailed description as well as present the latest achievements in the field.

The most characteristic feature of the PSL and other sign languages is their close relation to the reality. Similarly to the spoken onomatopoeias the sign languages adopt iconic signs, i.e. the signs that resemble either a thing or an action. It is due to this fact that the users of different sign languages can easily understand each other. The sign TELEPHONE (a fist by the ear with the thumb and the little finger pointing outward) is the same in the